Reading Time: 3 minutes
Last month, the sports world was stunned by news that former New York Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez had been stabbed after traveling to Indianapolis to cover a Colts game for FS1.
The story got even more shocking from there, as we learned that Sanchez had been charged with assault after allegedly instigating the altercation.
Now, the QB turned broadcaster has been fired by Fox Sports as a result of his legal woes.
“We can confirm that Mark Sanchez is no longer with the network. There will be no further comment at this time,” a Fox Sports spokesperson said Friday, per ESPN.
The network reports that Fox has hired Super Bowl-winning quarterback Drew Brees (not to kick Sanchez when he’s down, but that’s quite a step up in terms of football expertise).
Sanchez received an outpouring of support when it was first reported that he had been hospitalized.
The tone abruptly changed when it began to look as though an intoxicated Sanchez had assaulted a 69-year-old delivery driver.
Mark Sanchez attends Verizon’s “Run the Playlist Live†at Super Bowl LVIII on February 10, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Jeff Schear/Getty Images for Verizon)Sanchez was transported directly from the hospital to a nearby jail, where he was charged with felony assault after details of the incident emerged.
Police now believe that the 69-year-old delivery driver who stabbed Sanchez was acting in self-defense.
According to a report from the New York Post, the narrative police pieced together based on witness statements goes something like this:
Sanchez was in Indianapolis as part of the Fox broadcast team for Sunday’s Colts vs. Las Vegas Raiders game.
In this handout image provided by the NFL, Mark Sanchez of the New York Jets poses for his NFL headshot circa 2011 in Florham Park, New Jersey. (Photo by NFL via Getty Images)The 38-year-old was allegedly “running sprints” in an empty hotel parking lot after midnight on Friday night when he became enraged at the delivery driver whose car was blocking his path.
The allegedly intoxicated Sanchez shouted at the driver, who says he had removed his hearing aids and did not hear the verbal abuse.
The driver, whose identity has not been made public, told police that he thought, “This guy is trying to kill me,” before taking out his knife and stabbing Sanchez once.
Sanchez had not yet publicly responded to the news that he’s been let go by Fox.
We will have further updates on this developing story as new information becomes available.